Human After All
by R0gan
Summary: Post X3: Logan returns, and no one is happier about it than Marie. Regretting her decision to receive the cure, it seems that Logan is the only person capable of comforting her. And just when the dirt begins to settle, surprises abound around the corner..
1. Chapter 1: Homecoming

DISCLOSURE:

I do not own, nor do I claim to own, the X-Men series or their characters. This story is not written with the intent of monetary gain, and is in no way related to or supported by Marvel, Twentieth Century Fox, and/or any other individuals with the legal right to claim any trademarked or copyrighted X-Men material. The only material I expressly own is my adaptation of the plot.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Dear Reader,

This is the first time in a long time – and I am talking _years_ – since I have delved into the world of fan fiction. The X-Men series is the first fictional material since my Harry Potter days to inspire me to expand upon its plot. While I hope that you find my work to be entertaining and fairly accurate (I do intend to give myself some amount of creative license), I welcome your reviews to tell me how you feel about my writing, good AND bad. As far as I am concerned, writing such as this is _always_ a work in progress. Just because I have posted a chapter does not mean that I will not go back and edit it. If you feel there are changes that should be made to develop the story, I encourage you to suggest them. While I have the maintain the right to leave my work unchanged, I will read and consider any ideas and comments you send my way – and believe me, I will appreciate it all.

That said, welcome to my continuance of the X-Men story post-"The Last Stand" era! Enjoy it to the fullest!

CHAPTER ONE

HOMECOMING

The one thing Marie felt she still had to be proud of after receiving "the cure" was her curiously strong sense of hearing. In the unlikely event that someone meant her ill harm, this was a useful trait to have; at all other times, she could count on waking up several times per night to the sound of a distant owl hooting, to the wind whispering through the trees, to even the pattering paws of the smallest mouse through the kitchen three rooms down the hall.

However, on this night, she was glad to have been woken.

Glancing at the full moon outside, she judged the time to be about 3 in the morning, and she could hear an approaching motor. She continued to lay in bed, waiting to hear the motor continue down the interstate, which was a good two-and-a-half miles away. Curiously, the sound of the motor continued to grow steadily and rather quickly for the average person to be driving. Marie gathered that the approaching motor belonged to a motorcycle – and while specifications were lost on her, it did sound somehow familiar. Whoever was riding it was in a hurry to reach the school.

She slipped out of bed. To peer out her window would be pointless; her bedroom faced west, and the front of the building pointed north. Tugging on a navy terry-cloth robe, she opened the door without making a sound and walked barefoot down the corridor in the direction of the foyer. As she reached the overlarge front door, she heard the motorcycle come to a halt and the engine cough once before shutting off, returning the night to its nearly perfect silence. A moment later, the sound of gravel shifting and making way for the rolling tires, in addition now to what sounded like large boots, reached Marie's ears. The sound was due east, towards the garage that housed all of the exotic cars. Powers or no, she needed to investigate. She picked up a smallish lamp with a decent weight, ripped out the power cord, and stepped outside.

She caught a glimpse of a large figure walking his cycle into the garage before he rounded the corner. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice Marie, and that suited her fine. She believed it to be in her best interest to have the element of surprise on her side; after all, she knew better than anyone that there were far worse threats in the world than an ordinary lamp. Tamping down her fears, she followed silent as a fox. Approaching the open door to the garage quietly as she could, she readied her weapon, wishing she had been exercising a little more frequently. She stepped inside and looked right, finding nothing. Before she could even quarter-turn, one large arm wrapped around her waist as another simultaneously clamped her mouth shut with a broad hand. Her scream bottled up in her throat, and she was rendered powerless and terrified, the lamp shattering on the concrete floor.

There was a pause as her captor considered the situation, somewhat bewildered. He focused most on the white streak in her ebony hair. Then –

"Kid?"

Marie's body went rigid momentarily, and then she thrashed like a fish out of water to be free.

"Hey, _hey!_" the man cried out. "_Easy_! Would ya cut it out, for God's sake, it's me, _Logan_ _!_"

She turned to see him and stared, disbelieving.

"_Logan?_ Gosh _darn_ you, Logan, what in Heaven's name…"

Logan chuckled at this and released his grip on her. "Ain't never done nothin' in _Heaven's_ name, darlin'. You must have me confused with someone else." He turned back away to finish tending his motorcycle. As he shoved the keys into his pocket and pulled a cover over the bike, Marie stood in shock. She crossed her arms then, and dipped her eyebrows into a glare.

"And just what in the hell do you mean by showing up here on that thing in the middle of the night?" she demanded. He slid his leather gloves off and tossed them onto the bike. He spoke again, giving her a sidelong glance.

"What? Not glad to see me?"

Marie faltered at this. She _was_ glad to see him; she was _not_ happy to have been snuck up on, be it Logan or anyone else. Grasping for words, she finally said, "Yes, Logan. I'm glad to see you." He responded with a grin. Turning to face her fully, he turned all-business.

"Things have changed."

"Of _course_ things have changed, Logan," sighed Marie. "_Everything_ has changed. Most people think for the better. In the sense that there is less danger, I can't help but agree. But even though the school as gotten bigger, it's still felt… empty, to me. Somehow." Logan's jaw tightened, as did the tension in the pitch-dark garage. Marie switched gears instantly. "There's still plenty of food, though, _that_ much hasn't changed. You always did seem like you were starving, do you want something to eat? I'm not a real good cook but I can try to fix something up, if you're hungry…" Marie fell into silence, sensing that she had said too much already. The losses of the Professor, Scott, Jean… They had taken their toll on everyone at the school, all of the X-Men, most of the mutants in the world. But the loss that everyone else felt paled in comparison to the way Logan must have felt, must _still_ feel. To have watched Jean die, to have been the one faced with the responsibility of doing the unthinkable… It was unimaginable to Marie.

"Sure, kid," Logan growled, heading towards the manor, his eyes downcast. "Sure."

After taking several steps to the manor alone, he turned, almost grudgingly. "Well," he said, "you weren't plannin' on cooking in there, were ya?" As Marie watched him evenly, he jerked his head towards the safehouse before turning and resuming his pace. Pursing her lips and wishing she could have started that whole conversation over, she followed.


	2. Chapter 2: What's Cookin?

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thank you, thank you, and thank you again to those of you supporting Human After All! I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have received the amount of interest and appreciation that I have been given. Quick shout-outs to each of my reviewers: tanya2byour21, superawesomejennifer-thatme, and desy!

And now that the pleasantries are finished, let's see what's cooking in the Xavier manor at 3 AM, and I'm not entirely talking about the food…

CHAPTER 2: WHAT'S COOKIN'?

Marie and Logan stepped into the dimly lit kitchen in comfortable silence, Marie sitting at an elegant chair in front of the island as Logan pulled open the refrigerator. Marie watched him rummage through the fresh produce and bottles of juice in search of something a little less nutritious. Moving on to the pantry, he still failed to find a snack that would satiate his craving. Resorting, finally, to whatever weeks-old potato chips he had stashed in his ruck-sack, he said over his shoulder, " 'Ro, Marie said you keep this place stocked. Are ya holdin' out on me? 'Cause I don't see anything but rabbit food in here."

Startled, Marie glanced at the doorway, finally noticing Ororo standing just outside.

"Logan," she said. It wasn't a question, nor a speculation; it was simply a statement.

"Trying to sneak up on me like that doesn't work. I smelled you down the hall when I first set foot in this place. Not a bad smell, though, not at all," he said, backtracking a little. Not everyone could scent out people like the Wolverine, after all. He sniffed the air. "You smell a little like rain, in the spring. In the mountains." He shot her a lopsided grin and popped some chips in his mouth.

Ororo was quiet a moment; then, turning on her heel, she said, "Room's just the way you left it, Logan. Welcome back."

Logan crunched his potato chips thoughtfully as the school's new headmistress disappeared down the hall. When the bag was empty, he said, "You'd think they'd been expecting me to come back." Looking at Marie, he asked, "Were they?"

"The students figured you were gone for good. I knew better, and I always thought Storm felt that way too." The Wolverine pondered this for a moment.

"What made you think I was coming back?"

"Well," Marie said simply, "you're here, aren't you?"

Logan smiled slyly at that.

"You got a point there, kid," he allowed. "You got a point. But seeing as how I've been gone a while, how about you get me up to speed? Tell me what I've missed." He paused. "Starting about two months after I left, how 'bout."

"You haven't missed an awful lot," Marie began as Logan dove back into the refrigerator with renewed interest. "You know that Storm took over the Professor's position. Beast has taken up teaching chemistry and biology along with his new government post – both of which focus on mutations. I've sat in on a couple of his classes, and the brighter students love them, but you know how it is with Beast and his science… You either catch on fast, already know what he's talking about, or get left behind."

"Good for Fur Ball," Logan said.

"Mmm," agreed Marie. "Everyone graduated in May. Not me – I missed too much when I – " she faltered " – when I left for a while." Logan stopped looking for food and looked at her. He took particular notice of the way she was blushing, her eyes glued to a corner tile of the kitchen floor across the room. He straightened with a can of soda, closed the refrigerator, and sat in the empty chair beside her. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Are you continuing classes?" he asked, partially in an effort to distract her from what was tormenting her mind but mostly out of genuine concern for her education. She was 'cured' now, and government grants supporting Xavier's School once the Professor's personal funds ran out were not a guarantee; the loss of funds to run the school could pose a potential problem for Marie's future without a solid education.

"Oh, Logan," Marie chuckled, her voice starting to choke up, "What classes could benefit me here? What good are they to me now, now that I'm – _cured?_"

Logan cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"So, maybe Danger Room sessions wouldn't work for you now. But the professor made sure to include some contemporary classes too, to keep the curriculum well rounded, and isn't this school accredited or something?" Marie chuckled half-heartedly as Logan toyed with his unopened soda.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Logan," she said. "You're sweet for tryin' to make me feel better, anyway. I'll be alright. I've just had a lot weighin' on my mind lately – it doesn't take a whole lot to set me off these days." She sighed. "I guess I'd better turn in. I hate that I'm bringing you down as soon as you walk in the door." She stood to leave and turned towards the door of the kitchen.

"Marie." Logan reached for her arm, and she turned back with eyes that still weren't quite dry. "It's good to see you, Marie. Really good." A smile crossed her features like a sunrise. She leaned in close to hug him, her head settling neatly where his shoulder curved into his neck, and held on tight. Logan reciprocated with one arm, breathing in her sweet, familiar scent. He couldn't place what exactly she smelled like, but it brought to his mind images of tiny pink flowers. He smiled and allowed himself to hug her with both arms for just a second, and when he did, he heard her speak softly.

"You too, Logan. Nobody here's missed you more'n me."

She pulled away and smiled a little awkwardly. "Night," she said, and turned quickly towards the doorway again. Logan watched her leave, cracking open his soda at last. He heard a door down the hallway open, then shut, and he swiveled his chair to face the island. Taking a long swig, he thought, _I don't know if this is home, but it sure feels good to be here._

A/N: So, I teased you just a little bit in my foreword. There wasn't a whole lot cooking – at _all!_ – in this chapter. The final scene where Marie embraces Logan could be seen as romantic, but what I'm really trying to do there is reaffirm the close relationship they have fostered throughout the movies – their romantic relationship will develop from that point. I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to update – I've allowed myself to fall a little behind in my classes this semester, and this week has been a big catch-up week for me! But I can promise you that I'm constantly coming up with great ideas for this story, and believe me when I say that it's not going to be your typical fanfic where nothing really happens except for the relationship I've always dreamed of seeing on the silver screen. I'm going to be throwing some curve balls into the plot, and if this story goes according to plan (and my talent is sufficient) it will feel like an actual sequel to _Last Stand_. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say about it! Thanks for reading folks, I hope to have kept you entertained thus far! =)


	3. Chapter 3: Rogue

CHAPTER 3

Logan tapped on the large oak double doors that led to what was, at one time, Professor Xavier's study. The light, feminine voice that answered surprised him a little, in spite of himself.

"Come in," Storm called. Logan pushed a door open, almost second-guessing himself for visiting with the intent of offering his help around the school. "Ah, Logan," she said with a gentle smile, none too surprised to see him. Chuck always saw him coming, that was to be expected; Logan assumed that Storm simply knew using her "women's intuition." He snorted quietly.

"Storm," he offered gruffly in greeting. He stood awkwardly for a moment before she insisted that he sit in one of the plushy chairs on the side of the gigantic oak desk opposite her. He sat, but his level of comfort decreased, if anything; the Wolverine in him would have preferred the floor. The armchair was much too elegant to seem fit for him, but he knew better than to refuse the offer.

"So," she said, taking a seat herself; she'd been gazing out at the students lounging on the grounds in the warm, August sunshine. "You're back."

"Ah, you noticed," he nodded with a trace of sarcasm. Her poker face cracked a little, and he saw some of the woman behind the professional headmistress shine through. "I wanted to stop by and see you because I think – well, I'm hoping – "

"You want to stick around a while?" she guessed. His silence was answer enough; she knew how uneasy it made him to decide to stay in one place for any extended period of time. All those times he'd stayed at the manor before, he'd had little choice; for one reason or another, it had been crucially important, either for him or the team, that he stay. "We could use a good, strong individual with a good head on his shoulders to lead Danger Room sessions. You have the field experience – " another snort from Logan – "and you are more than capable of holding the students' attention while you're directing."

"Okay," Logan conceded. "Tell me more. What would I be doing?"

"Well, it's simple enough; Charles developed a strict four-year curriculum. Students can sign up for try-outs at age sixteen, and their skills are thoroughly examined from critical thinking to combat and everything in between. Students that are deemed fit to someday join the X-Men begin the program. First-year students do not set one foot in the danger room, and are immersed in a demanding course schedule including martial arts, to aid in combat development; one-on-one sessions focusing on each individual mutation, how to control it and how to use it defensively; concentrated mutation studies that teach the students every known form of mutation organized by the elements they relate to; and a class on the history of mutant wars. The next two years are spent half-in and half-out of the Danger Room, and the final year is spent almost entirely in simulated combat. Students are evaluated extensively during that year, and at the close of that year, there are final evaluations – a final simulated showdown between the entire group as a team and our most dangerous simulations. Those scoring 90% or higher can get in line to join the X-Men when there is a spot available."

"When there's a spot available? They go through four years of hell and they're not even guaranteed to join?"

"Nobody is guaranteed, Logan. I've seen a lot of talented kids come through this school, and too many X-Men overcomplicate things – the less people that know our secrets, the better. You ought to know that."

Logan thought in pensive silence, staring out at the kids on the lawn, wondering how many of them had tried out, how many were in the program now, how many were in line for an opening in the team of legendary X-Men.

"Seems like a lot more than leading Danger Room sessions," he noted.

"I hadn't gotten to your specific responsibilities just yet, Logan. I intend to make you Danger Room Director, which would require you to supervise all Danger Room student sessions to make sure that they don't get out of control. There are usually four professors that lead the students through each year of studies, one professor to each year; that professor is responsible for the one-on-one sessions, the Danger Room sessions, and any necessary counseling. The other classes are covered by professors specializing in those areas. I am asking you to be a professor of the program in addition to Danger Room Director. If you'd like some time to think it over, that's fine. I know it's a lot to think about."

Logan grunted in assent.

"And you think I'm capable of leading a group of students? Turning them into X-Men?"

Storm leaned forward and grabbed his hands.

"Logan. I _know_ you're capable."

Logan nodded again and stood, taking his hands back. Turning to leave, he walked to the door pausing as Storm called, "Think about it, Logan," before closing the door behind him. He hadn't walked far down the hallway – he had just reached the student dorms – when Marie burst out of a room, distraught. He caught a flash of her teary eyes looking up at him before she took off in the opposite direction.

"Marie!" he called, then peered into the room from which she'd come. What he saw made him snarl in disgust; Bobby, who had at one time been Marie's boyfriend, and a girl named Kitty Pryde, who Logan had barely known before he'd left, were tangled up in the sheets on the bed. He wasn't sure how much clothing was on either of their bodies, but he figured he had a pretty good guess. He growled sharply at them before turning in the direction Marie had disappeared and following. He had to run a good distance before he finally found her sitting under the branches of an enormous tree, her elbows on her knees and her head buried. She was crying.

"Marie," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"

"I wish you wouldn't call me that anymore," Marie said bitterly.

"What?" Logan asked. "Marie?"

"_Yes_," she answered, as though that were obvious. "It drives me crazy."

"Mind tellin' me why? When you left, you asked me to call you that."

"Because being Marie is a hundred times worse than being Rogue _ever_ was. At least Rogue was special in some way, even if that way didn't allow for me to touch another human. Rogue could protect the people she loved. Marie is hardly capable of anything, especially when she's surrounded by so many that are capable of so much more." Her voice wavered some, and she fought to regain her composure. "Rogue could be a pain in the ass, but at least she could do some good. Marie can't do good _or_ bad."

Logan watched the beautiful woman before him toe the line that marked a mental breakdown, and he knew exactly what he had to do to bring her back. He knelt before her, grasped her arms with both hands, and waited until she gazed up at him with misty eyes to speak.

"There's some quote about a rose that was called by a different name would still be a rose; if you want the exact words, I'm sure Beast could give them to you, but they don't mean nothin' to me, really. What really speaks to me is that no matter what you call something, it is what it is, and you are what you are to me. Ability to zap the living bejeezus out of someone or not, whatever you want your name to be at any given time, you'll always be that beautiful woman who hitched a ride in my trailer, who I couldn't bear to drive away from and leave, who asked me questions until I finally started to answer, who I damn near _killed_ and she didn't resent me – Marie, you'll always be my Rogue."

He watched a blush creep over her cheeks, and he decided he liked it, despite the puffy wetness of her tired eyes. He drew her into a short hug, and then sat next to her under the tree, waiting for her to catch her breath and calm down some. At last, she sighed.

"I don't know why it got to me so bad, seein' them like that," she admitted. "It's not like it was a surprise. They've been seein' each other for months, ever since I came back. I guess it just caught me by surprise." Logan stayed silent, knowing it was best that she talk herself through it. Nothing he could say could take away what she'd seen, how it affected her. "I didn't listen to you, Logan. You told me not to get the 'cure' for some boy, but that was half the reason I did it. I love that I can touch people now, without hurting them; but what I'd most looked forward to when I walked back into the manor was Bobby's touch. It was his I'd felt I was missing out on the most. When I saw him, I touched his hand, saying all I had to say in that one gesture. That's when Kitty walked through the wall, and her look of shock said it all. Bobby tried to explain, tried to tell me he'd thought I'd left and wasn't coming back, but I knew all along that wasn't true. He got frustrated with our boundaries and took the first opportunity to move on."

Logan growled deep in his throat, growing angrier by the minute. Rogue put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't blame him, Logan. I can't. It would have been worse to force something that depended on physical contact than to just admit that it wasn't meant to be. I'm okay; really, I am. I just had a bit of a shock, was all."

"Well, if you can't blame him, I can't either. But that doesn't mean I have to like the guy."

Rogue chuckled, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"So," he said. "This 'cure' business."

"It was really more trouble than it was worth," she sighed. "Storm's said that I'm welcome here, mutant powers or not, but I don't know what I can do that's beneficial. It's nice to touch people now," which she emphasized by laying a hand lightly on his forearm, "but I liked being a part of the team."

Ignoring the gooseflesh that had spread from the place Rogue's fingertips had touched him, Logan said, "Well, maybe you could teach?"

"Mm," she responded thoughtfully. "Maybe I could. Maybe I could."

A/N: This was a really tricky chapter for me to write. Not only did I have to transition from Logan's homecoming to what would turn into day-to-day life at the manor, I also had to set up Logan's future so that he would have purpose there, and not just _be_ there. Logan's acceptance of a teaching position, let alone a director's position, seemed kind of far-out to me, but I think I made it work okay.

Katya Jade, I hope this chapter delivered what you were looking for! I actually had the segment with Rogue's breakdown written before I received your review, so if you were craving to read what I'd already had planned out, I figured I must be doing something right!

Thanks, everyone, for your support! I look forward to hearing your responses, as always!


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